The image is striking. Anyone entering the Winnipeg Millennium Library must submit to a search of their bag, if they have one, by security guards, as well as a metal detector. It feels like we’re at the airport…
All of this was put in place after the murder of Tyree Cayer, 28, on December 11, 2022. The Millennium Library had to review its security measures to allay the fears of staff, who believed they had seen it all in terms of inappropriate behavior.
Because you only need to walk inside and around the library to understand how diverse the clientele is, with some users considering it as a temple, others as a refuge. And it is sometimes vital to take shelter there to counter the cold of the Manitoba winter, and especially the isolation, shared by homeless people and drug addicts.
The address is known to marginalized populations in the surrounding area, so much so that the City of Winnipeg set up a hub in April 2022 where social workers offer advice, comfort… and carry out some more forceful interventions. The Community Connections service, located at the entrance to the Millénaire library, welcomes everyone with a smile, as we have seen The duty during his visit last winter.
However, the place is going through a difficult period. The municipality’s communications department also declined interview requests from the Duty, including that with Community Connections. Because its existence is called into question, some municipal elected officials consider that it is up to the provincial government to provide this service. The current context of budgetary restrictions even affects the library, which may have to reduce its opening hours at certain times of the year.
Incidents there fell by 29% in one year, from 264 in 2022 to 187 in 2023, but the level of attendance has suffered several fluctuations. In November 2022, 51,551 people crossed the threshold of the library, compared to 40,209 in December 2023. In a report from the City of Winnipeg from which these figures are taken, it is admitted that winning back the public will take a long time.
For many, depriving users of Community Connections or imposing partial closures is not the solution. This is the opinion of Joe Curnow, activist within Millenium 4 All, a citizen group created in 2019 when the metal detector was first installed before being dismantled the following year. According to her, the security approach goes against the mission of libraries.
“Seeing security guards playing on their phones while this library is understaffed is shocking,” said Joe Curnow, also an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. “If the City is determined to protect staff and users, there should not be so few employees on each floor. »
While the question of the presence of social workers in libraries surfaces in Canada, the activist remains convinced that it is essential. “They can support the clientele, also made up of poor people and immigrants, while helping the staff to build relationships with them. »
Originally from Winnipeg, Marie-Pier Rivest now lives in New Brunswick, and she is interested in the integration of these new employees. For this associate professor of social work at the University of Moncton, the discomfort sometimes comes from employees who have to deal with clients for whom they have not been trained.
The image of the silent and orderly library does not stand up to his analyses. “The concept of “difficult customers” has been present in the literature since the 1970s, underlines Marie-Pier Rivest. This is not, therefore, a new problem, especially since libraries are places where you can spend the day without buying anything, and where nothing is expected of you. It attracts people who feel excluded everywhere else. » A social worker within the public library could thus promote their integration.
“Its role must be adapted to the profile of each library and its community,” explains the woman who conducted a series of interviews with social workers working in this place, from one end of Canada to the other. “At the moment, we are seeing a lot of pilot projects, and some are well on their way to being made sustainable. »
From Manitoba to Quebec
The Quebec documentary sector faces other challenges. According to the Association of Public Libraries of Quebec and the Réseau BIBLIO du Québec, in 2019, there were 1,316 employees missing, including 689 technicians and 429 librarians. Hence the dilemma of the organizations responsible for managing libraries versus social workers.
In this context, the City of Drummondville is a model student…. Opened in 2017, the new downtown library has seen its attendance explode. The pandemic and increased homelessness also knocked on its door. “The people in charge were looking for a dancing partner, and we agreed to dance with them! » says with a laugh Francis Lacharité, general director of La Piaule, an organization providing support and comfort, among other things thanks to the presence of street workers.
Among these street workers, one spends a lot of time at this library, building relationships with disorganized users, whom she can accompany for medical appointments or the search for housing. “Our role is that of a social mediator,” explains Francis Lacharité. Our presence must help cohabitation between users. For example, homeless people spent the afternoon sleeping. We opted for a gentle approach, because a rude awakening can make them angry, and it works. »
“We don’t wake people up for pleasure, but to make sure they are well,” says Jennifer Fournier, head of the reception and accessibility department at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationaux du Québec (BAnQ ). With her colleague Marie-Pierre Gadoua, coordinator of social mediation and cultural action, they note the many challenges that present themselves at the Grande Bibliothèque de Montréal, “where 4,000 to 5,000 people pass through per day”, underlines Mme Gadoua.
The incidents in this place have sometimes made the headlines, but we are counting on the presence of a social worker as part of a pilot project made possible thanks to support from the Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity. The two colleagues from BAnQ specify that the institution did not wait for this boost to forge links with local organizations, such as La Maison du Père or the newspaper The Itinerarydevelop initiatives to mobilize young people or facilitate subscriptions for homeless people.
“I met a lot of traveling people to ask them what they are looking for at the Grande Bibliothèque and what irritates them,” says Marie-Pierre Gadoua. Many feel like full-fledged citizens there, others seek tranquility or simply want more time to watch films that last more than two hours! » The physical organization of places also has an impact on behavior, the arrangement of computer stations for example. “We do a lot of work in this sector,” emphasizes Jennifer Fournier. Our observations prove that they are a little too close to each other. Spacing them out will reduce tensions. »
Back in Winnipeg, Joe Curnow remains convinced that the solution to making the public library safe and welcoming, and not just the Millénaire library, involves increasing qualified staff and social workers. “All the research proves it. A diversity of employees sends a powerful message to patrons: no matter your age or background, you are welcome at the library. »
This report was made possible thanks to excellence grants from the Association of Independent Journalists of Quebec (AJIQ).